There are many magnetically actuated locks in the prior art. Such locks typically mimic conventional key operated tumbler locks in their design and operation, wherein magnetic elements in a key cooperate with corresponding magnetic pins or other elements in the lock body to bring the magnetic pins to a shear line. Such magnetic locks suffer from similar drawbacks as conventional key operated tumbler locks; i.e., they may be picked by burglars using only moderately sophisticated techniques, and they may be disabled by any object inserted into the key slot.
A further consideration is the nature of the repulsive forces between magnets. Tumblers or latches which are operated by spring force may easily be designed to travel in a desired direction without binding or sticking. When considering magnetically operated latches and tumblers, it must be noted that magnets of similar confronting polarities not only impart a repelling force to each other, but also tend to rotate so that the opposite poles may move into confrontation. Prior art magnetic lock designs which failed to allow for this characteristic behavior have suffered from high failure rates due to magnetic actuators which pivot and bind in the mechanism.